Bailing Out
by Aventina
Summary: Ava is a bounty hunter with a dark past and serious daddy issues. Her hunt takes her to Lodi, after the VP of the Mayans. But she is not the only one after him. The Sons Of Anarchy want his head, too. She will have to work with them and especially Opie.
1. Meeting Ava

1.

Ava was getting really tired of staking out for the third night in a row. The man she was after hadn't returned to his house but Ava was sure he was going to show up sooner or later. She just hoped it would be sooner because she never had a great knack for patience and she would hate to spend another night in her car. And as she was making those thoughts, she saw the lights of a car pull in the guy's drive way.

"I knew it!" she said to herself and put down the salad she was eating.

As the man was going in his house, Ava slowly and calmly walked up to the entrance. She caught up to him just as he was putting the keys in the keyhole. He was trembling and seemed quite agitated so when he felt Ava's hand on his shoulders he jumped up.

"I am sorry to startle you, Mr. Prothens" Ava smiled at him.

The man might have been stressed and was ambushed at his doorstep, but he seemed to look upon Ava with a friendlier eye than one would have expected. After all, he was eyeing a tall brunette, with green eyes and fleshy lips. Ava refrained from rolling her eyes. She still couldn't get used to how men were constantly stupefied by a pretty face but it usually did the trick so she didn't mind using it. After that first reaction, the man quickly came to.

"You are mistaken, miss. My name is not Prothens"

Ava pulled closer and smiled widely.

"Come, come, Mr. Prothens. Why don't we take this inside?" Ava whispered.

Was it because Ava's looks were demanding or because he was scared to leave the matter settled at this porch? The fact was that he opened the door and let her in. The house was the most conservative house Ava had seen. Right out of a catalogue of white people with moderate amount of money, living in the suburbs.

Ava made herself comfortable on the man's couch and he just sat across her rubbing his hands nervously.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"The most important thing, Mr. Prothens, is who you are. Or more accurately who you used to be"

"Listen…" the man went on.

"I do not appreciate it when I am interrupted" Ava added politely yet firmly "To help you with that, I would suggest you listen until you hear me phrase a question. When that happens, feel free to answer the question"

The man blinked stupidly once or twice but made no attempt to interrupt her again.

"Excellent. Now, Mr. Prothens you are fugitive of the law. You have skipped bail in Oregon and you are now officially a wanted man. The bounty on your head is up to a considerable amount of U.S dollars. I, to answer your question, am a bounty hunter"

Upon hearing those last words the man jumped up from his seat and looked at Ava with a wary eye.

"You fucking bitch…" he pointed a finger at her.

Faster than the blink of an eye, Ava was on her feet, had grabbed his finger and twisted it till his was on his knees before her.

"Did you hear me phrase a question, Mr. Prothens?"

"Fuck you, you filthy…"

Ava pushed the finger to the verge of breaking.

"Technically I did just ask you a question. Yet, I do not generally appreciate it when people are calling me anything in the spectrum of bitch"

"You won't take me back in one piece. I know my rights. I have to be in a good shape for you to have your money" the man whizzed "and I am not coming without a fight"

"It may come as a surprise to you, but that's exactly what you are going to do" Ava pulled him up and threw him on the couch.

"Never"

"Ah!" Ava took her place "I understand your sentiment. Would it be shifted if I told you I have proof you are dealing child pornography?"

Ava's face was melted to the most heartily, soft smile. On the other hand, the man was looking as if somebody tied him down to a barrel of coals.

"So" Ava crossed her denim wrapped legs "Tomorrow you are meeting me outside the Sheriff's office. The Sheriff is your friend, right?"

"He…uhm…yes"

"Let's make it noon. I hate early mornings. We are going in and I am giving you over to the authorities. That's simple, isn't it?"

"It is. Can I ask a question?"

"Of course, you may"

"Why would I do it? You know what I am wanted for. I will be tried and put away for life"

"That is true. Now, if word came out that you are a child molester and that you deal images of your…endeavors, that time would be significantly reduced. You do know what happens to your kind in prison?"

The man didn't answer the question he just bit his lips down.

"As for me, I want to collect my money. You are not skipping bail with that accusation over your head, that's for sure"

Ava got up and went for the door, grabbed the knob and opened it.

"Tomorrow noon, Mr. Prothens"

It was noon and Ava was sitting under the warm sun at the park outside the Sheriff's office in that little, California town. She was sipping a coffee she got from the one and only coffee house in it and was nibbling on a chocolate croissant. Right on cue, Mr. Prothens appeared and walked up to her. His hands were in his pockets and he had a little backpack. He looked as if he hadn't slept all night and Ava guessed he was erasing all clues of his extracurricular activity.

"Very well, Mr. Prothens. Now, shall we?" Ava pointed at the Sheriff's door.

The man had given up and he just nodded before ascending the few steps and pushing the door with Ava at his heels. At the reception there was one of the deputies, a young boy in his early twenties, tall and bulky. As soon as he saw Ava, his face took a half-stupid face that became utterly stupid when Ava smiled at him.

"Take a seat there, Mr. Prothens. I will have someone pick you up" she said to the man trembling next to her.

She then went up to the deputy and explained the whole situation. The young looked at Mr. Prothens and back at her with disbelief before calling the Sheriff. Ava proceeded explaining to him the same thing, taking out the announcement that identified the miserable man sitting on the chair as a fugitive and a wanted man. It took the Sheriff of that small town a while to grasp the meaning of all that was said to him and even more to follow a procedure that he had never done before. All that time Mr. Prothens had his ears open and was trying to hear any hint on his real nature camr up. The more time passed with Ava making no comment, the more relieved he seemed. His face relaxed and a faint smile adorned his face as if he was being booked for vacations, not jail.

"That's it?" the Sherriff asked Ava.

"That is all. Mr. Prothens is all yours. It was great doing business with you"

"S…sure"

Ava closed all her things in her black leather bag and went for the door. Mr. Prothens looked at her thankful and blissful. When Ava pushed the door and went out in the sun, Mr. Prothens took a deep breath and leaned back relieved. And right at that moment, the door was pushed open once more and Ava walked back in in a brisk pace.

"How forgetful am I?" Ava's smile shone brightly "I forgot to leave you this"

Ava took out a black hard disc from her bag and left it on the reception. She then turned and regaled Mr. Prothens with one of her smiles.

"What is this?" the Deputy asked as the Sheriff appeared behind him.

"Oh, this? This has proof that Mr. Prothens deals child pornography. You do have children, Sherriff, right?"

All the color was drained from Mr. Prothens face. He gaped at the tall woman that stood relaxed at the reception.

"He is what?" both the officers asked.

"He is a pedophile. I am sure that he had erased everything from his hard drive but I made a copy. Nothing is really erased after all. I would be really impressed if he put his hard disc in the microwave"

"Liar, liar!" the man went up to Ava with a bad intent "she is trying to frame me. These are not from my personal computer"

"I couldn't agree more" Ava's lips were still smiling but her eyes darkened "So I guess these fine gentlemen would have to do with the clips of you doing…what you did" she stung him with a poisonous look "That was really stupid of you"

The man collapsed on the floor exactly the moment the Sherriff came at him with a gun in his hand. Ava took her bag and walked out the door once more. Behind her the Deputy was calling as many people as he could and the Sherriff was screaming on the top of his lungs.

"I let you in my house! Near my daughter, your filthy pig"


	2. Reluctant Savior

2.

"Hey, girl" Ava heard the husky, female voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey, madam"

"I hate it when you call me like this. How are things in Cali?"

"Smooth. I am relaxing, drinking my ice tea on the beach"

"Are you up for one more task while you are there? You are rarely on the West Coast"

Ava inhaled deeply. She was enjoying herself but deep in her heart she knew that she was going to be restless in a few days. She had been like this her whole life and she had accepted it. Izzy, a federal agent and a friend, knew that pretty well.

"Sure, shoot"

"I'll send you the details. Careful, Av. This one is going to be tricky"

"Don't worry, Izz. I can handle myself"

Ava managed to refrain from checking her mails for a whole day. During lunch the next day, she read the full report Izzy had sent her on her next target. It was tricky for sure. A Mexican guy, Javier Passado, was wanted in three states for assault and the federal government had issued a generous bounty on his head. Still Ava was puzzled. The man seemed to be known to all circles and he even had a permanent address registered in his name. He lived in a town in Northern California, Lodi, for his whole life. And yet he remained free. Ava frowned and leaned over her laptop in the midst of a busy beach bar on the waterfront. She had to dig deeper.

Izzy was not joking when she said that her new target was a tough one. Javier Passado was a notorious criminal, a drug dealer and top member of the Mayans, a Mexican motorcycle club that ruled over a wide area in Northern Cali. The Mayans was a serious gang, with swelling members, aggressive and expanding. Javier stood exactly next to their leader, Alvarez and was even the godfather of Alvarez's daughter, Tessa. He was a man with a temper that led to his charges of assault in feats of rage that left one man blind, one crippled and a miscarriage. Ava guessed he hadn't stopped in the assaults but took the one step further and has bloodied his hands but nothing was proved. All this Ava found out hacking through her laptop and using the limited access she got as a registered bounty hunter. Seeing things with her own eyes was a completely different thing.

It didn't take her long to find out where the Mayans were hanging out. Soon after, Ava was in her car outside the Mayans meeting point, a nefarious bar in the outskirts of the town. She had followed Javier there and she was trying to be as inconspicuous as she could in her Prius rental. She knew well that getting Javier coming in quietly and calmly was out of the question. He was guilty for nearly every offense known to the law and a few more on the top and he didn't care. If he were a lone wolf, tough as he might have been, Ava could have taken him out easily. But that one was top dog in a pack of vicious wolves. Ava even suspected that the Mayans had the local authorities in their pocket, so the Sherriff would probably let Javier go, free to put a bullet in the back of her head before she could pocket the reward money.

She was instinctively rubbing the base of her neck when the man himself flung the door of the bar open, got on his Harley and rode off alone, a practice the members of any criminal organization never followed. Ava waited a few minutes patiently just to avoid being noticed. At that moment, a black SUV pulled out a few cars before her and took the same route Javier took. Ava managed to take a glance at the driver. It was a big, tall guy, seeing he was barely contained in the spacious SUV, with beard, long hair tied in a man bun and a tattoo on his left arm.

"Now, that is not a car for a man like you" Ava muttered to herself before following them both.

It wasn't a long ride to Javier's house and Ava watched as Javier walked into it and the black SUV park across the street one down. She stayed put and watched carefully. She knew well that when a man of the underworld was being followed, it was either the feds or an opposing gang. And that guy in the SUV didn't look like a federal agent.

Only a few minutes had passed since Javier had closed the door of his house behind him and Ava saw the guy from the SUV get out from his car and look around cautiously.

"That doesn't look good" Ava said and made sure the small knife she always kept in her boots was still there.

Yet she made no move and crouched down to remain unnoticed as she observed the other guy's moves. She wasn't wrong when she supposed he was tall. That guy had a sturdy, gigantic figure, thick arms and impressive barrel chest as it was underlined by the black, tight t-shirt he was wearing. He was alluring in a bad-boy kind of way.

"Hm, not bad" Ava had to give it him.

He came closer to Javier's house and crouched behind the bushes. He looked around once more and then he went swiftly up to Javier's bike and put what seemed like a black box somewhere behind the exhaustion. And he was just in time. The moment he left behind the bushes, the door opened and Javier appeared with a black bag in his hands, speaking on the phone.

"Shit. That fucking wacko is going to blow my reward up" she talked to herself, started her quiet car, left it in the middle of the road with the door open and got out of it swiftly.

Javier hung up and left the bag on the bike.

"Stop, wait!" Ava screamed as she rushed up to him in.

Javier turned to her inquisitively but Ava didn't have time to explain. She stormed to him, grabbed him firmly and then she used all her strength to throw the both of them away, onto the little garden's grass. Almost simultaneously, the bike blew up in a thunderous explosion. Ava got on her feet and turned to the SUV. The guy in it threw an angry glance at her as he drove away, tires screeching.

"Fuck" Ava hissed between her teeth.

She then turned to the man she had no intention of saving if it weren't for a fat paycheck. He had hit his head on a little rock and he lay unconscious. Ava lounged down at him, checked he was alive and then rushed back to her car and drove away towards the sounds of sirens approaching. She left Lodi behind and drove straight to her motel in Stockton.

She had barely closed the door of the cozy, decent motel room behind her, when she heard the exhaustion of a Harley, roaming somewhere outside.

"They always ride in twos, stupid" Ava muttered to herself and went for her bag.

Minutes after, the door was flung open with a kick and a guy stormed in, gun in hand, waving it around. Ava was swifter, she got out from behind the door and put her gun right on the basis of his neck. Only then she saw the leather cut the man was wearing. It had a big reaper with a scythe and the words "Sons of Anarchy" written on it.

"You could have knocked" Ava commented as she took away the gun from the uninvited guest.

"You, fucking…."

"Tck, tck" Ava rolled her eyes as she pushed him away "Let's not lose our temper here. I assume you are with the tall, dark hottie back in Passado's house, right?"

The man looked at her with his green eyes filled with anger. Yet, he made no attempt to come at her. Ava lowered her gun and smiled at the man. And right on cue, like it had happened many times before, the man smiled widely back at her as his looked travelled over her long limbs, her full breasts and her big, green eyes.

"I think we need to take things back to your club"

"That is not going to happen"

"You are telling me that if I google search where is the base for the Sons Of Anarchy California Division, I won't find anything?"

The man looked down.

"You can drive back on your bike or you can drive handcuffed in my car. I know it's going to look bad coming back with me, loose and free. It's going to be worse coming back without your bike"

The man got up and walked out in wide strides. Ava got her keys and followed him up to her rental Prius. She was buckling up when the man on his Harley pulled up to her window.

"Seriously? A Prius?"

"Reliable and quiet" Ava answered and waved him to ride ahead.


	3. Stirring up deep waters

3.

They rode to the small town between Stockton and Lodi, Charming, straight to a garage named "Teller-Morrow". A line of Harleys was parked outside and a few cars were pulled for work in the stations. Few heads were turned but no one came up to her to ask if her car needed fixing. Not with that escort anyway. She followed her new friend in the clubhouse and the minute she stepped in the club she felt the chill to her very spine.

"What the hell, Tig?" there was a yell.

Ava swiped the room with a quick glance. There was a pool table on one side and a bar across it. A wall was covered with mugshots of club members and there was a door to another room with a long table in it. She could see four men in the club apart from her reluctant escort. One was the tall bomber. He was the first to shoot up from his stool at the bar.

"That's her! The one that saved that asshole's life" he took a few steps closer to her.

Ava could see him clearly now and her raised brow professed she enjoyed what she was looking at. He was a lot taller up close, with dark eyes and looked cute angry.

"What the fuck is she doing here?" a tall older man came out of the next room, his patch read "President".

"Tig! Are you a fucking idiot?" a young, blonde man came into her intruder's face.

Only an old man, with long, gray, curly hair and a serious belly was sitting at the bar, calmly looking at her. Ava walked up to him with a warm smile.

"Everyone else seems busy waving their dicks around" Ava looked around the room and then extended her hand "Nice to meet you. I am Ava"

"Bobby" said the man, toying with a smile.

"Pleased to meet you, Bobby" Ava enjoyed his firm handshake.

"What do you have to do with all this?" the young, blond one asked her.

Ava looked at him. If he wasn't wearing the cut with the VP patch, he could have been your average American jog. But he seemed street-wise and if he had a proper education he would have been even smarter. She just kept her smile on her face without answering.

"Why did you save Passado?" the tall one pulled behind his VP.

"Gentlemen. I have introduced myself properly. Why don't you return the courtesy?"

"I am Jax. This is Opie" the blond one said abruptly, leaving no room for pleasantries.

Ava tried to keep her eyes off Opie but she caught herself glancing at him. She did find it in her not to bite her lip, though. She had gone far, further than anyone from her past could reach, left all her former life behind, the family history. And still, she had a thing for bad boys.

"Jax, it seems that we are in a pickle. You seem to want senior Passado dead. I, on the other hand, do wish him to stay alive"

"And why is that?" Jax asked.

"Javier Passado is wanted in three states. I am a bounty hunter. I need him alive to collect my prize"

"Why the sudden interest in Javier Passado?" Opie asked in his thick, husky voice "He must have been wanted since he was a child"

Ava managed not to look completely swooned as she turned her eyes on him. She didn't seem to have the same effect on him as she did on other men. He kept eyeing her with a cold eye, his head slightly held up so he seemed as if he was looking down at her.

"I was just in the neighborhood. Boxed a child molester downstate. Seemed that going after a 30.000$ reward was a good idea"

Ava suspected that Izzy had her go after Passado for her own reasons but she wasn't ready to share that information with a potentially dangerous gang. If the FBI was after Passado, that would be an interesting and unpleasant development for all the outlaws in the wider area.

"I am sure you can go after some other guy" Jax told her and he turned subtly to the door.

"I am willing to split the reward. Plus I think we can find a way to satisfy our mutual interest. Do not get me wrong, gentlemen. I am not interested in Senior Passado's well-being. I am only interested in him being alive and well, up to the point when I surrender him to the authorities"

The men looked at each other, contemplating on what she was saying. Ava tried to focus on the president of the crew but her look fell sideways on Opie. She instantly got angry at herself and shook the thought away. She turned her attention to the president. The tough, older guy looked at her and then he nodded to his VP.

"What do you propose?" Jax asked.

"A deal to our mutual interest" Ava put on her widest smile "I need a safe place to drop Passado off, you want Passado off the picture"

"If the feds get to him he will be out of our reach. We are taking him out on our own"

"Which would have happened if you didn't get in the way" Opie came from behind Jackson and pulled closer to her.

Ava looked up to the man that towered over her head, frowning seriously. Still his look glanced down at her full lips.

"By the way, good job on the bomb. Very accurate. You made sure that it would kill Passado only. Military?"

The huge man was thrown aback. His frown changed into a surprised look.

"Uhm…" his thick voice deepened "self-taught"

Ava cracked an approving smile at him.

"Not bad!"

Opie parted his lips but it was evident that he didn't know what to say. He just looked at her sullenly. Jax was the one to interrupt that scene.

"Ava, if I were you, I would find someone else to chase. Just say that Javier Passado is dead"

"And yet, you are not me. I think we can help each other out. And split the reward, I must repeat"

Jax turned to the President. The old man waved at him to come closer and they both retreated to the private room. The rest of the club went about their normal business which varied from opening another beer to gearing up for work in the garage. Only Opie stayed with her, watching her like a vulture. Ava moved to the wall of fame in the club, a series of mugshots of the members. Among them, she caught Opie's face.

"How long?" she asked without turning to him.

Opie come up to her, stood between her and the door of the inner sanctum of the club where Jax and the president were conferring, leaned against the wall and folded his strong arms over his chest.

"Five years" he said and once more Ava bit down her lip, mesmerized by his husky voice.

"Why?"

"None of your goddamn business"

Ava still refrained from looking at him and skimmed through the other mugshots. There was one with the president, Clay Morrow, and another with the name John Teller.

"Jax's father?" she pointed at the shot.

Opie inhaled irritated and shifted in his rider's boots making the chains hanging by his jeans chime.

"Of course he is Jax's father" Ava spoke as if to herself "John Teller of the Teller-Morrow garage in Charming. Wouldn't be surprised if he were in fact the former president of the Sons. Jax is far too young to have risen up to being VP just because he is cute"

And upon saying that last comment, Ava turned to Opie. He seemed irritated even though Ava couldn't tell if it was because of her digging into his club's history or because calling his friend cute made him uncomfortable. She could do with him being a little bit stung by jealousy, but she didn't flatter herself.

"OK" Jax came out of the office "We have a deal. We split the reward, we make sure the Charming P.D helps you out quickly. If you tell us how do we know he will be dead eventually"

"Before we go into that, allow me to ask a question? Is it a matter of business wanting Javier Passado dead? Or is it a payback, a revenge for some insult or even crime against you?"

"None…" Jax tensed his face.

"…of my goddamn business, I know" Ava narrowed her eyes "I am wondering if you boys keep telling that because I am an outsider or simply because I am a woman"

Jax lost his aggressive stance and looked at Opie who just lifted his shoulders in resignation.

"Why do you want to know?" Jax asked.

"If it's a business deal, I can understand that. You are businessmen and killing is the underworld's version of hostile overtake. But igniting wars over personal feuds – no matter how serious – is…" Ava swallowed "childish"

"It has to be done" Jax seemed sincere "that's all you need to know"

"Is there a message to be sent?"

"He has to die painfully. Knowing it was the Sons"

"OK" Ava reached out her hand.

Jax first looked at her deep in her eyes before extending his hand too into a firm handshake.

"Have a great day, gentlemen. I will let you know when your police lap-dog can expect me" Ava said and turned on her heels to leave.

"Opie, you are on this"

Ava stopped and turned.

"What?" both her and Opie demanded from Jax.

The VP decided to address his friend first.

"It is your mess" he pressed a finger on the man's chest and Ava guessed that if he weren't a friend and VP that would be the last time to make use of that finger "It is your mess and you clean it up. As for you" Jax turned to Ava "I simply don't trust you"

Ava took a little bow and smiled ironically. Jax returned the favor and left her with Opie that had put his hands in his pockets and was looking at his boots. He wasn't happy about his assignment and Ava was even less happy. It was one thing ogling the guy and another having to work with him.

"So what do we do?" Opie said finally.

"We stake him out, follow him. When we find the chance we grab him" Ava put simply and made for the door.

She had reached her car and she was making plans in her head when Opie came up to the Harley parked next to her. Her mood had changed rapidly and she doubted herself of making the right move getting involved with these guys. She was contemplating leaving Northern California and its biker gangs behind for good and aim at a more suburban target.

"Seriously? A Prius?" Opie's smirk interrupted her thoughts.

"Seriously? A freaking Harley, that can wake the dead, into a fucking stake out? In your ever so subtle leather cut?" she snapped at him.

"Listen" Opie looked over her head avoiding eye contact "I don't like babysitting you either. But…"

"Baby-sitting me?" Ava's tone made him look down at her.

She shook her head and swore in Russian through her teeth. She had managed to cover her accent, making herself sound less Russian and more NewYorker. It was only when her nerves got the best of her that she always remembered her mother tongue. That happened rarely but being around a stressed situation, a potentially dangerous mission and an even more dangerous man, that took a toll on her concentration. She turned back at Opie, coming near him, so close that she had to arch her neck to look him in the eye.

"You listen! I do not EVER need anyone to fend for me or babysit me. I am not a damsel in distress, I am not a bimbo and I am definitely not one of those chicks swarming around the motorcycle club, waiting for you to do them the honor of sucking your dick"

Her face had lost all her pretentious politeness she had polished over the years and the fury she always fought to keep at bay washed over her. Opie was looking at her seemingly unfazed by her outburst. His face was unchanged but his chest was drawing deep breaths. After her outburst, Ava took a step back and leaned on her car crossing her arms. They stayed like that for a few moments, her reining her nerves, him waiting for her to calm down. When he thought it was opportune, he talked.

"How do we do this?"

"Lose the cut. You got to leave the bike behind. A black Harley following a Mayan VP is a bad, bad idea"

"OK. I am taking the truck"

"You are riding with me"

"No"

His look clearly stated that he was not backing down on it. Ava nodded in resignation and managed to smile.

"You know, it doesn't make you any less of a man cruising in a Prius"

"Yeah, I am not the least worried about my manhood" and by his stance, she was sure he wasn't worried "You might need back-up"

He then took out his cut and left it on his bike. With long strides he headed to an old, beaten truck at the corner of the yard.

"Don't" Ava muttered to herself "Don't look at his butt. Don't look…"

Her look travelled down the man's broad shoulders to his loose trousers that hung low leaving his waist and his black briefs show and then further down.

"What did I just tell you?" she cursed herself and got in the car.


	4. The setting of the trap

4.

It had been two days and Ava was already itching herself with impatience. She glanced in her mirror and she saw Opie's truck parked a few cars behind her. She could see the gigantic man sitting behind the wheel but couldn't read his face. They had been stalking Passado closely but he had always been accompanied by at least four of his crew, all heavily armed. They were currently out of the Mayan headquarters where the club had some kind of a feast. As the hours passed, Ava was getting more and more anxious and restless.

"Fuck this" she hit the wheel and got out of her car.

Cautiously, glancing around, making sure no one noticed her, she headed for Opie's truck. When she got near, she saw him scowling at her but Ava threw one last glance and slipped in the co-driver's seat.

"What?" Opie threw at her.

"Fuck this shit. He is heavily guarded. Probably this has something to do with someone trying to blow him up"

"Which would have solved most of our problems"

"Yeah, yeah. Ancient history. He is not going to be left alone and trying to drag him away will lead to a bloodbath. I am hardly taking a regular bath as it is" Ava looked down at herself.

She was in a sleeveless grey, knit blouse, dark, black tights and her soft leather ballerinas. Her hair was in a clumsy bun and she had no make-up on. When she turned back to Opie, he too was looking at her with his always serious look.

"What do we do?" he said.

"There is only one thing to make men go full on stupid" Ava smirked.

"Pussy" Opie said without hesitation.

"Exactly"

"So?"

"I happen to own one" Ava widened her smile.

Opie looked out the window and run his fingers through his beard before wetting his lips. Ava regretted instantly talking about pussy while in such close quarters with him. Momentarily, her breath became more swallow and her cheeks were flushed.

"That's dangerous" Opie put simply.

"If I wanted safe I wouldn't be in this line of business"

"He has seen you"

"Even better. I am the girl that saved his life. I need to work on my background story and maybe buy some new clothes. I am not luring any Mayan dressed like that"

"You look fine" Opie's voice deepened but his face remained cool.

"Um" Ava lost all her carefree stance and blinked a few times "Thanks"

They just stayed there looking at each other for a while not talking.

"Right" Ava broke the silence "I will call you tomorrow and let you in on the details"

"No need. We are going back at the club and you will fill me in there"

Ava restrained herself and didn't slam the door after she got out. The way that man was treating her like a lackey or worse was making her furious. She was sure that all the men of the MC were treating women exactly the same degrading way, not very different than the way the men of her own family were treating women. She fought tooth and nail to get away and she wasn't going to budge, rolling in a dark pit with a bad boy. No matter how dangerously alluring she found Opie.

Back at the club most of the crew was in but no one but Jax approached her and Opie as they came in.

"What's going on?" the VP demanded.

"He is guarded well. Usually four in. She has a plan" Opie pointed at Ava with his thumb.

" _She_ , also has a name" Ava replied in ironic sweetness.

"What's the plan?" Jax disregarded her frustration.

"As I explained to… _him_ " Ava pointed at Opie with her thumb "there is one thing to make men go dumb"

"Pussy" Jax replied readily.

"The level of your self-awareness is amazing. Yes. Pussy"

"You?"

Ava nodded. Jax looked at her up and down as if he was just noticing she was a woman. His look had nothing of the blankness others had when looking upon her. It was cold and calculative, examining as if she were up to the task.

"You are good bait. If anything, you are too good. Passado is going to suspect you. Plus it's your accent. You are not from around here"

"No worries, darling" Ava put on a perfect Californian accent "I think I can handle that. Now all I need to do is find some bullshit story and I am set"

Ava passed him by, picked a table in the bar and took out her laptop. Opie and Jax were talking glancing at her and they both smiled at each other before Jax went out. Opie headed for the bar, grabbed a beer and sat on a stool looking at her like a predator as she was sipping his beer. There were others shooting pools at the table, some were talking and drinking at the bar. Tig was dancing on the dance floor with a few girls along with some of the crew she didn't know.

Ava took in all that outlaw carelessness and she hated how cozy it felt. She was trying to focus on the matter at hand and turned to her screen. Almost all of her work was done in it and she managed not to look the part but she was a fairly good hacker. That skill she used in hunting down bad men and putting them away. When she entered that world she managed to concentrate on her work and after some digging she had found the perfect cover. Satisfied with herself she leaned back and put her hands behind her head with a smile on her face, looking at the screen.

"I am good" she grinned in self-indulgence.

A beer was placed on the table and when Ava looked up, she saw Opie offering her the bottle. He then grabbed a chair and sat close. He must have been watching, that was why he came to her the minute she had something to show for.

"So?" he asked.

"I think I got it" Ava raised her beer to him.

Opie looked at her with brooding eyes, making no attempt to returning the gesture. Ava smiled and took a generous sip.

"Jax is your friend, right?"

Opie looked down at his bottle.

"You really love him" Ava continued "It's the only time I have seen you smile"

Opie turned to her and Ava saw something else in the man's eyes other than menace. That colossal man sitting across her was tortured by his internal demons and Ava knew well how hard and constant that battle was so she shut her mouth and quietly took a few sips more.

"So" she once more broke the silence and changed her attitude "I am taking sympathies"

"Why?'

"My long lost sister is dead and I have to go to Lodi to get her affairs in order"

"What?"

"That's my story. A woman died in Lodi. Around 40, without family and a house in Lodi, teacher. Heart attack. The system says there are no known relatives. She now has a sister, though. The black sheep of the family" Ava pointed at herself "All I need is to come across Javier's path by chance and with the help of our lord and savior Boobs I would be able to draw him in my…sister's empty lot. I am guessing he won't bring his men in while he fucks. If he insists I can always be nervous"

"You are just going to throw yourself at him?" Opie almost barked.

"Well, yeah. You'd be surprised how many I have caught like that. I just need the right outfit. I am guessing the sweet butt look would be alluring to a guy like him"

Opie's look wrapped her in its darkness as he was picturing her in the provocative outfit.

"He is Mexican. He might prefer brown pussy"

"Everyone needs a change in his diet. What worries me most is that he doesn't have a girlfriend and he left home on his own those past nights"

"So?"

"He might be more interested in brown cocks" Ava raised her brow "If that's the case you are taking one for the team"

Opie pinned her with his look and made clear he wasn't finding her amusing. He then got up and went up to one of the girls that were dancing with a Son. She was a pretty little thing that had a tight leather skirt on and a cropped, tight red blouse that let her black bra show. Her shoes were a mile high and she had heavy make-up on. When Opie approached she flashed a wide beam at him and threw her arms on his sturdy chest. Ava bit down and returned to her screen.

"He is a good guy" Bobby slipped next to her.

The heavy man with the smart look was concentrated on Opie that was whispering at the girl's ear.

"Hm" Ava hit the keyboard aimlessly.

"He lost his wife"

Ava still had her look on the screen but her ears were open.

"It was brutal. She was executed, shot in the head"

Ava looked over the screen at him. The girl was practically throwing herself at him but he had the same hard look that seemed to fit him like a glove. For the first time Ava noticed the sadness in his look.

"He is a good boy" Bobby turned to her with a smile and he then left her alone.

Ava was still looking at Opie when he turned to her and waved at her to go with him. Ava frowned and followed him while he pushed the girl before him into the corridor leading to the living quarters at the back of the bar. He stopped at a door and went in the room behind it. The girl followed throwing a smile at Ava.

"Some quality porn starts that way" Ava muttered to herself and went forth.

"Ava, this is Diamond" Opie introduced them and turned at the wardrobe.

"Charmed" Ava smiled at the girl.

"Should I?" Diamond asked Opie.

"Yeah. And make it quick"

Then, just like that, the girl took off her top and threw it on the bed. She proceeded taking off her skirt, standing in her underwear in the middle of the room.

"What shoe side are you, darling?" Diamond asked and took off her shoes.

Opie stood next to dumb-stricken Ava and threw a black t-shirt with the logo of the club at Diamond.

"Diamond is going to lend you her outfit" he explained.

"She is just going to give me her clothes?"

The girl got comfortable in the t-shirt that barely covered her thighs. She then smiled at Opie and approached him on her toes.

"Anything for a Son" she lowered her voice "I can take this t-shirt off and spent the night with you. And her if you want" Diamond pointed at Ava.

Ava was trying to watch the scene with a straight face. Diamond threw herself at him with all she got. Half-opened lip-glossed lips, dreamy eyes and a tiny thong underneath. On the other hand, Opie didn't seem the least interested in what she was offering.

"You are wetting someone else's dick tonight. Get out!" his husky voice filled the room.

Obedient like a lap dog Diamond left the room throwing a look filled with jealousy at Ava.

"You expect me to wear these?" Ava held the leather skirt and looked at the shoes.

"Try them on"

Ava threw the clothes on the bed. She was shaking with rage and her lips had turned white from the pressure she was applying on them.

"Sure! Should I strip for a glorious Son?" Ava's narrowed dangerously.

"I would prefer it if you waited till I left the room but suit yourself" he put his hands in his pockets, turned his back and left the room.

The minute he was gone, Ava looked with despair at the tiny clothes on the bed. The shoes were her number. She regretted having conceived the whole plan. But she was trying to lure a biker and she could see if the bikers were indeed allured. She took her clothes off and slipped into her new outfit that still had Diamond's heavy scent. She then went into the bathroom, tidied her hair and put on some make-up she found lying in the bathroom. When she was ready, she went out walking confidently.

Her walk was slow, sensual and as everyone turned and looked at her she felt the rush of being wanted. The Sons weren't of the discreet kind and threw saucy comments at her and sharp whistles. She could feel all the women in the club turn to her and their look was filled with envy and spite as they whispered behind her back.

All these brushed off her without touching her. All her concentration was focused on Opie. She walked in a straight line to him in an openly erotic call. If she were to appear before him revealing most flesh than she did in her bathing suit, she might as well make him equally uncomfortable. He was sitting at the table she had left her laptop, smoking a cigarette with his distinctive way, holding the cigarette between his index and his thumb. Hearing the commotion he turned and looked at her in her slutty outfit. He did look at her from head to toes more than once as she drew nearer.

"So how do I look?" Ava put her hand on her waist and talked in a surly accent.

Opie took out his cigarette and got up, towering over her head.

"You look like a whore" he said in a low voice and before Ava could reply, he leaned in closer to her ear "You looked better before"


	5. A fish in the net

5.

Ava was trying to balance on those retched high heels as she got out of her car and walked to the convenience store. Living up to its name, the place was conveniently placed across the street from the Mayan clubhouse. Having established Passado's schedule, she knew that he always had the craving for vanilla ice-cream around that time of day. Before she pushed the door of the store she turned to the beat-up truck a few cars further up and glanced at the huge man in it.

She pushed the door, smiled at the clerk and hovered at the ice cream fridge for a while, filling her basket with random stuff an empty house would need. When she heard the door chime, she turned to the mirror only to see Passado come in with his escort. Ava checked her reflection on the mirror making sure she was showing enough flesh. She then opened the ice-cream fridge, arched down and pretended she was looking for some ice-cream. A few minutes after, she heard a voice with a heavy Mexican accent.

"Can I help you, beautiful?"

Ava looked, feigned a surprised look and bit her lip as she stepped away.

"Um…no. Thank you" she smiled.

"Hey, I know you!" Passado said and approached "you saved my life"

Passado was of medium height, medium built with big black eyes and a devilish smile. If he didn't' have the crazy look and an extensive record, he could have been considered passable, some might argue cute.

"I…I don't think…"

"No, you are the one. I could never forget a pretty face like yours" he leaned in, placing his hands on the fridge to come closer.

The man escorting him was a little further back. Ava put on her flattered face and lowered her eyes.

"Why did you do it?" he asked.

"I just saw a man put something under the bike. I grew up in a rough neighborhood. Know what that means" she shrugged and tried to turn away.

"Don't go!" he lowered his voice and cut her off "I would love to thank you properly"

"I just did what I thought was right" Ava made sure she showed how heavy her basket was.

"Come on, let me help you with that" he offered and Ava gave him her brightest smile.

Passado took her across the street to the club carrying her bags. Ava kept smiling on every little thing he said and wrapped her arm around his. She threw a glance at Opie who was still watching her back and was tapping the wheel nervously. She went into the club with him and after a few drinks, a lot of cold looks from the rest of the fans there to see a white girl with the Mayan VP and several flirty flings of her hair, Javier became bolder. He ran his fingers up her thighs and he tried to push them open.

"How about we take it to my place?" Ava whispered in his ear.

"You live in Lodi?"

"No. My…sister died a while back. I came to put her shit in order"

"Your sister?"

"Yes. She was a teacher here. Heart attack. I am crushing at her place"

"That teacher in fourth grade? Emilio's daughter was in her class"

"I don't know. We weren't in the best of terms. I didn't lead the kind of life she approved"

"I approve, _chica_ " he leaned in and licked her ear.

Ava swallowed her need to vomit and leaned in closer. The rest of the crew and most of the girls were overly interested in them and Ava grabbed the opportunity. She lowered her voice and ran her finger across his neck.

"You approve but most of your club doesn't. We can be more…private at my sister's. You can help me with the groceries"

She must have been showing enough cleavage for he just smiled at her, got up and took her by the hand. When one of his lieutenants got up to accompany him, Passado stopped him.

"It's OK, _ese_. She is Deena's sister. The teacher Emilio's daughter was crying about a while back. I need some…alone time" he winked "I'll call in later"

He pulled Ava behind him like a puppy and she remembered to follow Diamond's lead and trailed after him obediently. They got out and he led her back to her car, smacking her ass before she got in. She pulled out and headed back to the house she and Opie had entered the early hours of the day. As she drove by Opie's truck, she looked at him. He didn't seem happy but nodded to her.

Ava pulled up on the driveway and Passado came in after her. He even picked the grocery bags and followed her up the stairs and into the house. Ava closed the door behind him as she saw Opie pull up across the street.

"Do you want me to make you something to eat?" Ava took her most impious look.

"I will eat something, _mama_. Your wet pussy" he pulled her close to him and grabbed her possessively.

"Well, someone is hungry" Ava teased and dragged him to follow her up the stairs.

And as she was leading him through the corridor to the stairs, the front door slammed open and Opie's frame filled the threshold. In the blink of an eye, he had grabbed Passado by his leather cut, had thrown his fist in the air and then slammed it on Passado's face. The force of the blow sent the Mexican on the floor and Opie was getting ready to hammer him down once more.

"Opie, stop!" Ava grabbed him by the arm.

Opie turned to her and his face was a mask of anger. Ava, seeing him so out of control, feared for a minute that he would hurt her. But he stopped and backed off. Passado was on the floor, his lip teared, unconscious by the sheer force of the punch.

"Fuck, Opie!" Ava threw herself at him, and pushed him back "You just cost me and the club 30.000$"

Ava run to the kitchen and grabbed some frozen packs the deceased owner had in there. She threw one to Opie and the other she put on Passado's torn lip. Opie put the ice on his hand and stayed over her silent.

"Shit!" she cursed and added a few more curses in Russian "It is not that bad but it would need a few days to stop looking like a beating"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't" Ava turned her flaming eyes on him "The government does. I am supposed to get him to the authorities in one piece or else he will claim violence and he walks"

Ava got up and run to the kitchen. She grabbed some duct tape and tied Passado's hands and feet. And then she took out her phone and dialed Izzy's number.

"Hey, girl!"

"Listen, I got Passado" Ava said in one breath.

"Well good for you, girl. Where are you taking me out for dinner?"

"He is hurt. Punched in the face"

"That's not your style. Not essentially, anyway. I told you he was a tough one"

"Wasn't me"

"Who? Don't tell me you found a partner. Good for you. Less worries for me"

"He is not a partner"

"He? And what is he?" Izzy voice sounded intrigued.

Ava turned to Opie that was looking at her with dark eyes, his head thrown back. His chest was calm, his breaths were normal and he still held the frozen peas against his knuckles. Her feelings were bizarrely complex. She was still drawn to him, his sullen, haughty ways, his hurt look and massive arms. But she was mad, furious, enraged at this man and the fact that he acted like an adolescent that couldn't hold it in his pants.

"He is an asshole" Ava said looking at him with rolling eyes.

"Okay. Is it bad?"

"I will need a few days for it to be less obvious. But it will show"

"Where are you taking him? Lodi?"

"No. Charming PD"

"Take him in after two days. I will delay the agency pick-up a few more. You should be fine"

"I'll call you when I am ready. Thanks" Ava refrained from telling Izzy's name for Opie to hear.

"Who did you call?" he asked.

"A friend. She is a partner and a… doctor. She helps me out sometimes" Ava lied easily.

"What do we do now?"

"We need to take him somewhere where no one can find him. I am guessing in a few hours his crew will start looking for him"

"They know about this place?"

"They know about my sister. This is the first place they will look for him"

"We should split" Opie threw the peas away and lunged down at Passado.

"We won't. Let them come. Let them think we are fucking like animals. We may be able to buy some time before the Mayans turn the world upside down for their VP. When he is in federal custody, he is out of our hair and I'll just vanish"

Opie sucked his lower lip and got up. He then took out his phone.

"Hey, Jax. We got Passado. I…I punched him bad" Opie turned to Ava and walked away to talk in private.

Ava looked once more at the man's lips and the frozen peas did the trick. The swelling was subdued and he had a small tear. She hated to think what Opie would have done to him if it weren't for her. As she was trying to pull the man up, Opie walked in.

"We can take him to the cabin. No one will find us there"

"Great. Take him to the living room on the sofa" Ava ordered sternly.

The enormous man budged, clearly unused to taking orders by a woman. He frowned angrily and tightened his fists.

"Oh, it's OK to barge in and ruin a perfect plan but you won't lift a finger to clean up your own mess. Fine" Ava barked.

Ava lunged down at the man and grabbed him the way her father taught her to carry men twice her size and took him to the living room on her own. When she passed by Opie, he tried to help but Ava pinned him with a hard look. She threw Passado on the couch and then she put on some music, a melancholic jazz playing. She flopped on the armchair across her prisoner and ran her finger through her hair. Passado's phone rang.

"And so it begins" Ava said and sighed.

Opie came into the living room. He looked like a hurt animal, still scowling but calmer.

"Can I help?"

"I don't know. Can you?" Ava didn't even look at him.

Another call.

"They will come. The bike is out front. I can take it…"

"No" Ava interrupted him "You will stay here and make sure he will say the things I need him to say when his friends come knocking"

It took the Mayans an hour to track down the house. Ava was in her underwear, sitting in the armchair tapping her fingers on the soft fabric when she heard several Harleys pulling up. Opie jumped from the shadows he was hiding.

"As we said. Do not make any more stupid moves and get me killed"

Opie opened his mouth to reply but he shut it quickly and just growled. Ava then turned to Passado, lying on the couch, his hands and legs still tied and his mouth shut with duct tape. Ava leaned in over him, her long limbs unblemished. Opie's look travelled over her curves but withdrew it swiftly as if he was burned. Her voice flowed in the air like a perfume. She whispered to Passado in Spanish and although her smile was wide and her voice sweet, Opie could tell she was threatening him. When she lifted a finger and pointed at him, that thought became a certainty. Then there was a bang on the door and Ava walked slowly to the door and opened it just a bit.

"Yes?" Ava showed off enough flesh to make the three Mexicans at the door grinning like fools.

"Is Javier here?" one bald guy with a pulped nose said to her looking openly at her breasts.

"He is"

"Do you mind if we see him?"

"I don't but he might. He was a very naughty boy" Ava toyed with each word like caramel "Let me ask"

Ava turned her head and called out in Spanish only to have Javier answer her back loudly. The answer must have been satisfying because the others kept their stupid grins, turned on their heels and left on their bikes. Ava shut the door, shed her mask and walked up to the living room barefoot. Opie was still holding a gun to his head.

"It is done" she waved Opie away and sat by Passado "Well done, senior Passado"

The man spat on her face causing Opie to hover over him. Ava held his arm to stop him and her touch did the trick.

"That got us some time. We need to get ready for the cabin"

"I called Chibs. He picked up your staff from your motel and he is on his way"

"Good"

Ava got up and only then realized that she was in her underwear. She glanced at Opie and her cheeks flushed as she was fumbling around for her clothes. The tall, dark man withdrew to his corner and they all stayed silent till they heard the distinctive Harley sound.

Chibs, a guy with facial scars, came through the door holding her black bag in his hands.

"There you are, darling" he said in a heavy Scottish accent.

Ava took the bag from his hands and looked around. She put on an old, comfortable, loose pair of jeans under her skirt and then threw the skirt away. She took off her transparent blouse neverminding three sets of male eyes looking at her and put on a cropped white t-shirt.

"Did you check if there were any Mayans out there?"

"I did. No one is stalking the place. You must have made a good impression, lassie" he raised his brow "Here" Chibs added "I got some things for the cabin, too. Foods and medicine staff"

"You coming?"

"No. Jax needs me. Plus, this is still Opie's shit"

Ava looked at the Scott inquisitively.

"I have never seen an actual Glasgow Smile" Ava said as she was folding her borrowed clothes "Maybe you could tell me about it if you came along"

Ava knew Opie was listening but she really didn't care. She couldn't concentrate on her job as long as Opie was around. All the time she was sitting half-naked in the living room, instead of fearing for her safety, all her thoughts were concentrated on the dark corner he was standing. And she literally had to claw her fingers in the armchair to keep from walking up to him. Chibs smiled back at her.

"Would love to, darling. You seem to know your mafia scars" Chibs caressed the scars that went from lips to ears "Always a good subject of discussion. But orders are orders"

Ava frowned upon hearing the word "mafia" but quickly she came to. She walked up to Chibs with Diamond's clothes.

"Give those to Diamond. Thank her for me"

Ava then turned with all her sweetness to Opie.

"Would you be a sweetheart and put our esteemed guest in the car?" she said ironically "Seeing that I am a weak little thing and all"

Opie put his cigarette in his mouth and looked at her coolly. He then grabbed Passado and carried him singlehandedly out the door. Ava followed him and closed the door behind her. Chibs got on his bike and rode off. Opie got in his truck and led the way. It was already dark when they reached the remote cabin and Passado was still kicking when they opened the trunk. Opie carried him in and tied him to an armchair, while Ava was putting away the food.

"He's set in there. I'll sleep on the couch, you take the bed" Opie came in the kitchen and grabbed a beer.

"OK. I'll check in on him in a few, dose him with tranquilizer and then I'll sleep. There's some canned food here. Good night" Ava threw, grabbed her bag and vanished in the other room.

She checked on Passado, took care of his lip and made sure he was tied up and sedated. She then went into the bedroom, threw away her jeans and fell on the bed. She could hear Opie fussing about in the cabin and then the creaking of the sofa. Ava sighed deeply as she caught herself concentrating on catching everything he did. Frustrated she finally slept.


	6. The cabin in the woods

6.

The next morning, Ava was the first in the little cabin to wake from her sleep. She slipped into her jeans and went to check on Passado. He was sleeping with his head thrown back. She tip toed into the kitchen but not before she glanced at the couch where Opie was sleeping. He was barely contained on the couch. He was bare-chested, in his briefs and the blanket he used had slipped letting his strong frame show. His whole body was covered in tattoos and she found the time to look at them with a hungry look. On his arm she saw the tattoo of a woman and the name "Donna" underneath and she remembered what Bobby had told her. She took a deep breath and looked away from him.

When Ava started preparing the coffee maker, Opie inhaled deeply and stirred out of his slumber. He got on his feet quickly, put on his jeans and made for the kitchen. He was gathering his hair in a tight bun when Ava turned to him and she could feel her jaw dropping as his massive bulk filled the kitchen.

"Morning" he said.

"Good morning" Ava coughed to clear her dry throat "I am making coffee. I'll whip something up for breakfast"

"Nah. I'll take care of that. Eggs OK?"

Ava looked at him surprised and scoffed.

"What? I can make fucking scrambled eggs" his voice made her shiver but she didn't let it show.

She prepared the coffee machine as Opie was gathering the ingredients. For a while they were going around in the little kitchen trying not to bump on each other. He was so close she could smell him. He smelled like cigarettes and leather. And something masculine underneath that was too much for her.

"I…I am going for some workout. Call me when the eggs are ready. If you wouldn't mind making some for Passado, too…"

"Sure"

Ava walked out in the forest barefoot and went behind a few trees, looking for a good spot. She had her morning ritual of exercises and it was exactly what she needed to unwind. Ever since she was a little girl, her father pushed her in exercising on her martial arts. It was the only time he was really a father, trying to protect his daughter from the demons that were chasing him.

She was exercising for a while when she heard some branches breaking behind her. She leapt behind and twirled her whole body, ready to kick. She stopped just in time before she kicked Opie in the face.

"Jesus, man" she exasperated.

"Your…eggs are ready. I fed our guest. He seemed happy"

"Thanks" Ava said and passed him by.

They spent the rest of the morning baby-sitting Passado. Ava tried reading a book she found lying in the cabin and Opie did some work on his truck. Then Ava offered to make some lunch and fed Passado some canned food. She tried to talk to Opie as little as she could and she avoided looking at him. He, on his side, seemed to have gotten the message and he said little next to nothing. The sun was going down and Ava started feeling like caged animal. She tried to focus on her book but Opie came in his sleeveless t-shirt, cleaning his hands with a greasy towel and scattered all the letters before her. He went straight to the bathroom and after a while she heard running water. The thought of him taking a shower, naked in the next room, was a bit too much. She got up and opened the fridge looking in it aimlessly. When she closed the door, Opie was standing behind the door with a clean t-shirt not on him but in his hands.

"Come on, Opie" she was surprised "Stop scaring the shit out of me and put on a goddamn shirt. Do you have an allergy to shirts or something?"

"Sorry" he lifted his arms and put on his t-shirt.

Ava gawked at him openly as he pulled the t-shirt over his massive shoulders and commanded her feet to walk away but the message didn't get down to her legs. Opie looked down at her with a serious look. He opened his mouth then looked away over her head. Ava finally managed to get her legs take a few steps.

"I am sorry, Ava" his voice resonated, thick in the little kitchen.

Ava was compelled to turn around. He was standing in the middle of the kitchen with his hands in his pockets.

"I am sorry I screwed up" he licked his lips and looked away.

He then pinned his eyes in hers and Ava inhaled deeply. She was helpless and there was little to do but fold in and forgive him.

"What's done is done. No use crying over spilled teeth" she smiled, honestly for the first time since they met.

Opie cracked his lips in a faint smile and shook his head.

"Wanna a beer?" he shrugged.

"Sure" Ava nodded.

He opened the beer for her and handed it over. He took a few sips from his bottle, throwing glances at her. Ava sipped and walked away. She needed to be away from him the same way she needed to be close to him. She pushed the door of the cabin and stood on the porch. Either he didn't care or he misunderstood her gesture for she heard the door open and then the crackling of the sofa placed outside.

"Quiet, huh?" he muttered mostly to himself.

Ava turned to him only to see him gaze in the darkness and she wondered if he was looking right back at his soul. He took out a cigarette and lit it, the flame illuminating his face like a halo.

"You got some impressive ink" Ava started small talk.

She instantly bit her lip. She had to stir away from the "dead wife" subject.

"Comes with the territory. I noticed you have none"

"Comes with the territory. Plus I always hated the ones my father had"

Again, she bit down her lip. Stirring away from one painful subject led to another one.

"What kind of tatts does he have?" Opie asked with the cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Did have" Ava muttered "The bad kind"

"Shit. I am sorry"

"Comes with the territory" she exhaled.

Ava gave up and flopped on the couch next to him. They remained silent for a while, taking in the complete peacefulness of the place. And then and there, with a tied up man inside and a dangerous biker next to her, Ava embraced serenity. She didn't want to run away, she wasn't itching to go up and run, she wasn't excited nor agitated. She enjoyed a freaking beer and she couldn't remember the last time this had happened to her. She turned to him and he seemed to have the same look of calmness. And without a warning, he turned slowly to her, exhaling the smoke of his cigarette and Ava swore she had never seen a sexiest thing in her life. Her natural reaction was to leave her beer and jump up. And she did just that.

"I'll go check on Passado. I gave him a small dose but it should start wearing off"

She went straight to her prisoner who was starting to come round. He fought to keep his eyes open but the minute he recognized her, he opened his mouth. It was hoarse and dry.

"Allow me to offer you some water so you can easily swear at me. Some hydration will help with the spitting thing, too" Ava pulled a plastic cup near his lips and helped him to drink.

"You are dead, bitch" Passado said the minute she took the cup away.

"How insightful" Ava murmured.

"I will kill you with my own hands. And I will do it in front of your old man"

"My old man?" Ava shook her head.

"That ogre you had drag me away"

"Oh… He is not my old man" Ava waved her hand in the air and then turned sternly at him "I am the one after you"

"That's the last mistake you'll ever make, _puta_ "

"I can scratch that from my "being called _bitch_ in all the languages" list. Thank you"

"I will rip your heart out" he barked at her as she got up "I will rip your heart out and fuck your corpse"

Ava was on her feet and saw Opie standing at the door looking at their prisoner with an ominous look. He was tightening his fist and Ava feared that the rings he was wearing would do an ever greater damage than one pack of frozen peas could repair. She walked up to him.

"Don't" she said in a soft voice "That's exactly what he wants. These are just words and they shouldn't affect you at all. Hold your anger"

"Yeah, boy. Do as your cunt says. I see you are properly whipped by your old lady" the Mexican scoffed.

Opie took a step to him but Ava stood in his way. She said nothing she just touched him on his chest to stop him, right where she saw he had a Reaper tattoo. Opie fixed his look at the Mexican but made no attempt to advance. Ava, then turned to Passado.

"Senior Passado, you seem awfully certain you will escape us"

"I will. Nothing holds me down"

"The Man does, senior Passado. There is a bounty on your head and I am here to collect"

"You'll be dead before you'll get the chance to spend that money. _Mi hermanos_ , they will kill you"

Ava approached him.

"I don't think they will. They won't like you, _ese_ "

"What? Why?"

"Cause you like taking it up the ass, Javier"

Passado's face melted into a miserable mask. Ava raised her brow inquisitively.

"No… I don't, you lying bitch"

"Hm, I am not so sure. I have made men harder than you were back in the house" Ava bended over him.

"Maybe I don't like white trash"

"Maybe. But the pictures I have say otherwise"

"Pictures?" Passado panicked.

"Yes, pictures, _ese_. Why did you think I drugged you? Feeling sore or is your ass stretched enough?"

Passado's look turned filled with fear to Opie. The man's gigantic figure made him fear him for a completely different reason.

"What him? No. Too many tattoos for the photo" Ava turned to Opie.

He was standing at the door in full attention, his colossal arms still twisting with tension. But he toyed with a coy smile on his lips.

"No, for you, Javier" Ava continued "we got a professional. Vaseline, dildos and all that jazz. I think your… _hermanos_ would think twice before backing up a pervert homo like you"

Passado shifted on his chair and Ava had to refrain from bursting into a loud laughter.

"See it this way, Javier. You are going to be a very popular boy in prison" Ava said lightly.

She basked into the terror she saw in Javier's eyes when the true meaning of her words hit him. She then went to the bag with the medical supply and took out some disinfectant, tended his wound and then put some duct tape and covered his mouth.

"Good night, Javier" Ava said and closed the door of the small storeroom they were keeping him.

Opie was outside, leaning against the wall. He was smoking another cigarette and the minute she stepped out of the room he turned to her with a smile on his face. Ava raised her hands up in the air and Opie extended his fist to her. Ava smiled at him.

"Ooh. I get the fist-bump!" Ava hit his fist with her knuckles.

"That was good" Opie said "He really thinks he got one up the ass"

They burst down laughing for a few minutes.

"Haha!" Ava stepped away into the kitchen "Did you see him shift to check if his butt was hurting?"

"The look he had" Opie laughed behind her "when he thought it was me"

"He was checking you out, man. _"How big is that guy's dick?"_ Ava imitated his Mexican accent.

Opie was still cracking in laughter and went for the fridge and got them some beers. They were still holding down a smile while they were taking a few sips.

"You are…" Opie pointed at her with his beer but stopped mid-sentence.

A shudder came over him that made the smile freeze on his lips. His look darkened and he took a few deep breaths before falling into a deep silence. Ava bit her lips but said nothing. She knew what he was thinking. There he was, smiling and laughing while his wife was dead, executed.

"How long has it been?" Ava dared.

Opie's lips trembled but he gave no answer.

"Bobby told me" Ava pushed a little more.

He turned to her and his look was disconsolate, gloomy. He took a generous sip from his beer but gave no reply. Ava nodded and smiled bitterly before heading to the porch to leave him alone. She was surprised to hear the rusted door open and see him standing at the edge, supporting his body on the post. She remained silent.

"About a year ago" he almost growled like a hurt animal and Ava felt fear and yet an irresistible desire for him.

"I'm sorry" Ava mumbled.

"Your father?"

Ava turned to him aggressively but reigned herself when she saw his eyes glistering in the moonlight. There they were, two hurt people, lost in the life that was chosen for them, sharing their death toll.

"Right before I left"

"That's why you left?"

"Sometimes I wonder if I really ever did leave" Ava looked down at her bottle and got up to go away.

There were a few conversations she enjoyed having and one she never did. And the last person she wanted to have it with was with him. She was already biting down her bitterness with difficulty. It seemed to grow, no matter how well she hid it underneath all her act. When she passed by him, he grabbed her by the arm. It was a firm grip, not possessive but demanding and Ava couldn't escape it if she wanted to. The thing was that she didn't want to.

"I was jealous" he said simply.

"What?" she turned to him inquisitively.

"I was jealous, that's why I punched him" he beckoned at the direction of the man they held in the storage room.

He released her arm but Ava didn't move. She just put her beer down and moved closer. He still had his eyes held in hers and he swallowed hard. Ava put one hand on his chest and with the other she dared caress up his arm. She was torn between breaking down in tears and in tearing his shirt into pieces as she leaned in closer. His breath became shallower but he made no move. She parted her lips, looked at his and felt the turbulence in her heart inflamed. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, forcing her to rub herself against him. When she moaned softly, he held back no more. He twined his fingers in her hair and drew her near as he leaned to her lips. He stopped to breathe over them only for a moment and Ava threw her arms around his neck. They sunk into a deep, wet kiss that grew wilder and rougher.

He pulled her up and she wrapped her legs around his strong waist as he went to the couch. He kneeled down and left her on it softly without breaking the kiss. Ava did as she pulled his shirt over his head and finally touching him on his broad shoulders. Opie didn't follow her lead but instead he tore her t-shirt in two, kissing her neck, hiding his face in her hair. She felt his rough hand, the hand of a mechanic, caress her belly, cup her breast and she almost exploded.

"I might be a little rusty" he whispered in her ear and Ava lost her breath and ability to talk.


	7. The day after

7.

Ava lost track of how much time she was laying in his arms. They were still on the couch, him stark naked and her in nothing but her torn up t-shirt. She was all curled up under his right arm, her hand on his chest that moved calmly under her touch. Her whole body was relaxed after the tension she felt for the last hour. If he were rusty, she couldn't' tell. The sweet fatigue she felt and the faint smile on her face declared otherwise. She turned to him. His eyes were half-opened as he gazed upon the darkness and he caressed her on her shoulder absent-minded.

"It's getting cold" Ava had to say something.

Opie was less prone to say anything. He just got up and swept her up in his arms, carrying her inside light as a feather. Ava savored the moment and let her head rest on his barrel chest. She had been around long enough in this life to see that moments like those rarely lasted and she knew she had to relish it. He passed the living room and went into the bedroom. He looked upon the bed sighing, as if he were weighing some difficult decision. He then moved and placed her on the right side of the bed before climbing in next to her.

"Roll over" he said roughly.

Ava turned her back on him and quivered when he pulled near and glued himself against her back. She felt his manhood as he rubbed against her thighs and she pushed back involuntarily, reacting to his touch. He pushed her against him, one arm under her head and one over her waist.

"Thanks, Opie"

"My pleasure"

"Not for that. I mean for that, too" Ava smiled.

"What then?"

"For changing sides. I know how hard it is to…sleep on the other side of the bed"

"How did…?" he started but stopped "No big deal" she could feel his voice vibrating through her chest.

"It is a big deal" she said and dared to caress his left arm, where his wife tattoo was "She slept on your left, right?"

He flinched. She could feel his whole body wound up like a steel coil.

"I am not a case, Ava" he hissed.

She feared that he would leave but instead he cozied closer, breathing in her hair. Ava soon fell asleep.

The next day, she was again the first to wake up. She turned to Opie next to her. She gazed upon the amazing man on her side as she got up as lightly as she could and put on a loose blouse. She checked on Passado that was sleeping drooling and then made for the kitchen. She looked out the window upon the pines and blue sky over them. She placed two hands on the sink and bit her lip. The urge rushed back and hammered her cruelly. The urge to run, go quickly, vanish, leave Passado in the mercy of the Sons and track down some poor little scum. Get away from him, his hands, his touch and the best sex she'd ever had. Right on cue, she heard his voice behind her.

"Morning. You all right?"

"Yeah" she turned around biting her lower lip.

He had just put on his briefs and his hair hang loose on his shoulders.

"Sure?" he pulled closer and Ava's thighs tightened on their own accord.

She had no words to reply to that so she unleashed her instincts. She wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her toes and sucked his lower lip. She felt him go hard and she didn't hesitate to grab him firmly over his briefs only to see him part his lips and close his eyes. She kept caressing him up to the point where he couldn't take it no more and threw her on the counter. He ripped her underwear and thrusted his excited manhood into her, making her grunt. It didn't take them long to come at the same time panting.

"I am taking a shower. Care to join?" he whispered over her lips.

"Down boy" she got off the counter and looked at her torn panties on the floor "We are still on duty"

Opie pressed a kiss on her lips and turned his massive back on her.

"OK, girl" Ava whispered to herself as she started preparing coffee and breakfast "The vanishing act is going to be tricky"

Opie was still taking a shower when Ava went into the storage room with a tray with Passado's breakfast. He was up and was eyeing her with a spiteful look.

"I see you are up" she smiled at him.

"You getting fucked could wake the dead, _puta_ "

Ava shrugged. She was always a bit of a screamer but Opie pushed her over the edge with just one look. She completely lost control with him inside her.

"Jealous, Javier?" she took the plastic spoon and put some bacon in his mouth "Of me? Of him?" she toyed.

"My brothers won't believe you" he said but he wasn't so convinced.

"I don't know about that. The pictures are compelling" she let him sip some coffee.

She then checked his lip. The bruise was there but the cut started to heal. She took care of it and then she dosed him so she could leave his hands free to avoid any marks on his hands.

Back in the kitchen Opie was eating his full already. She sat across him and they had their breakfast in the sun-lit room. If they weren't who they were and if there wasn't a wanted man in the storage room, this could have been a great trip of a loving couple in the forest. But there were too many "ifs" in the equation and Ava knew the result.

"I'm hitting the shower" she said when they tidied the room.

When the lukewarm water hit her she knew why Opie took his time. She was certain that the same train of thoughts came over his head as the one rushing through hers. They both knew how ugly things can turn in a relationship – even if it was a casual fuck – when people lead normal lives. Living the life they led? Multiply it by the thousand. She had already lied to him once and she would go to lengths to hide who she really was.

Just when she was starting to get desperate and confused, she decided to wish it all away in his arms. She would be gone soon and she could do with a few more orgasms. She got out of the shower, wrapped herself in the towel and naked and wet she walked to the living room, already picturing riding him harder than he rode his Harley. The thought was dropped the moment she appeared in the living room with a smile on her face. Jax was sitting on the armchair and Opie sat across him on the couch, still bare-chested.

"Um…sorry" Ava backed off.

Jax looked at her with a clever look and a naughty smile on his lips and then he turned to Opie who looked back blinking slowly unfazed. Ava disappeared into the room and got dressed swiftly. More decent, she re-entered the room and chose to sit on the arm of the couch.

"So…?" Jax raised his brow.

"Oh, grow up, Jackson. Two condescending adults had sex" Ava shrugged him off.

"Okay" Jax threw his palms in the air "How about our house guest?"

Opie let her do the talking. He was brooding in his own hell and Ava chose not to think what last night – and early morning – meant to him.

"He is fine. His lip looks better and by the time the feds are here no one would bat an eye"

"How are you going to be good on your end of making sure he is dead?" Jax asked coldly.

Ava clenched her jaw.

"I guess Opie told you I am not exactly American" Ava twitched.

"Russian. You got ties inside?"

Ava looked away exhaling. She had but she wasn't going to use that pull to kill a man. It would involve a lot more men than she had in mind. She swore between her teeth for ever thinking she could pull this off without revealing some of her past. She looked back at Jax. He was smart, she could see the intelligence under those two blue eyes. And the peril that came with it.

"No" she lied "But I got some connections. We do some things differently in Russia"

"Which means what?"

"He will be dead" Ava refrained from replying.

Jax didn't reply, he just got up and went to the storage room, took out his gun and put it on Passado's head.

"I can just kill him now" he turned to Ava that had followed him.

Opie came up behind them but didn't interfere.

"I can blow his brain out, bury him and finish this shit"

"With him you bury your club's 15.000$ and you bring a war upon you"

"No one knows we have him"

"As if the Mayans need an excuse to finish you off. Making him go away through a bounty hunter is clean. You had nothing to do with it"

"How?" Jax pressed the gun against the sedated man's skull.

When she decided to use the club she didn't expect the kind of resolve as Jax was showing. Either Passado did something truly unspeakable to the club or Jax was a persistent one. Truth be told, she was planning to screw the club over, give Passado to the feds and split the money with the MC, hoping that 15K would put away any hard feelings. But those guys really wanted Passado dead. She couldn't allow them to kill him then. Izzy knows she had him and as much as she liked Ava, she doubted that the federal agent would turn away from her murdering someone. But that was not what was really worrying her. She was worried that with that kind of determination, they would after her if she screwed them over. And going after her would bring havoc in everyone's life. She had to keep everyone happy. And alive.

"Poisoning. A guy I know has access" Ava hesitated.

"Access to what?"

Ava had almost forgotten herself in Opie's arms. She was dealing with criminals, gangsters, bikers.

"To a poison that kills slowly and painfully. KGB staff. Untraceable, incurable, painful. I can get my hands on a dose that will finish him off within the next three months. He will die in excruciating pain" Ava gave up.

"Who?"

"Who sells you guns?" Ava dared.

Jax's face distorted in a very unpleasant look. His jaw was twitching and he was fisting the gun he had in his hand. But if he was trying to make her scared, he was knocking on the wrong door.

"You will go with her to the drop" he turned to Opie "And just because you stuck your dick in her doesn't mean you fuck the club" he threatened.

Jax passed her by and nailed her with his eyes but Ava didn't budge.

"And there's the staring contest" she smiled.

"You better deliver" Jax kept his attitude.

Now, that was the last straw for Ava who gave the VP several opportunities to back off. It was her turn to go full on tough nail. She came up to Jax who wasn't a lot taller than she was, never minding that Opie was watching the scene.

"I do not respond well to threats, Jax" her look had twinkle that bordered on the crazy side.

"I don't either"

"So, how about we stop all this dick measuring - seeing that I do not really have one - and postpone this conversation till after this is done?"

Jax smiled and shook his head. He turned to Opie that stood right behind him, watching the scene with the same solemn look that he always had.

"You sure know how to pick them" Jax said and left the cabin.

The whole atmosphere that was built, had crumbled around them. Jax's visit reminded them they weren't on vacation and an awkward silence filled the cabin. All her desire to sink in his embrace was gone as it always did with the men that came closer to her. But for some bizarre reason there was a tangible void left behind in his absence. The noticeable kind, the kind that one needed to fill.

"I have to make a call" Ava said and grabbed the cell she always carried but never used.


	8. The end of the road

8.

Opie was working on his truck when Ava came up to him a few minutes after. His hands were dirty, his fingers working quickly and efficiently and Ava bit her lower lip but managed to dispel the effect he had on her.

"We have to be in Sacramento this evening. Someone has to come and keep an eye on Passado"

"Chibs will come. What time do we leave?" he didn't turn to her.

"It's an hour drive up there. We are meeting in a tea house in the suburbs at 5. Sharp. I know the place"

Opie exhaled and grabbed the cloth he used. He measured her with his grave look and there was no need for him to talk.

"It's OK, Opie. I am not screwing you over. Although you might want to bring a weapon with you. Mostly you just sit there, pretending to be my hired muscle, ready to betray me when things go bad. The last request is easy for you. Don't talk"

"Who are we meeting?"

Ava clenched her teeth. She would love to avoid meeting the man they were going to but it was inevitable. She even wondered if she was caught in all this mess only to meet him. Opie's question was still hanging in the air and Ava was hanging between telling him the whole truth and hiding as she always did. But she barely knew the giant across her and old habits die hard.

"A head of the Russian mafia in Sacramento" she told half the truth.

"How do you know him?" Opie frowned.

It was the question Ava didn't want to answer.

"He owes me a favor" Ava said vaguely with a tone that ended the discussion.

He dropped it and turned back to his work.

"We leave at 3. I'll call Chibs. We take your car" he just said.

"Hey! Big man driving in a Prius" Ava tried to lighten the atmosphere but Opie didn't reply.

Ava shrugged bitterly. She had gotten in the face of his friend and VP on top of making him stomp on his wife's memory. No matter how sweet a pussy she had, there was no way to break that brotherly love or beat the ghost of a dead woman.

The hours till Chibs's Harley pulled up were spent in complete silence. Ava was dressed and ready and so was Opie in his dark, plain t-shirt and his shaggy jeans.

"Ready, lads?" Chibs smiled at the couple.

If Jax had told him to beware of walking into them fucking, he struck out. Opie barely talked to her and kept his distance. Ava was certain that the ride to Sacramento would feel it lasted a little longer than an hour. An eternity would be more likely.

And she was spot on. Opie made himself comfortable in the car and didn't even peep to her direction. He just looked out the window, toying with his long beard. Ava tried to forget about him and focus on facing the man waiting for her in the tea house but she couldn't concentrate on either. She hated that Opie was with her on the meet and was relieved that he didn't speak any Russian.

They reached the place earlier and did two rounds around it. It was a sweet suburban place, a white house with a cute garden with nice tables and chairs and table clothes. Opie looked at the place in disbelief since it looked like a cute little place, a little too cute for a meeting involving a dangerous poison. Ava went round the back and parked.

"Don't talk. Not even if he address you. If he does, just look at me. He will get the message" Ava said and got out the car.

She went up the back ladder and she could sense him close behind. She pushed the door and if Opie was hoping for darker surroundings, he was disappointed. They were in the kitchen, a sunny, spacious room with a table in the middle. There was a woman there that took one step back the minute Ava got in and left in a hurry. Without hesitation Ava took her place on the table. Opie stood right behind her. There was a cake baking in one of the ovens and the room was filled with the scent of vanilla.

The door on the other side opened and in came a man in a perfect dark suit. His face was bony, with ashen complexion and tight lips that cracked in a smile when he saw Ava. His grey eyes reflected the cold country that bore him but they were beaming with warmth upon her. He rushed to her, followed by a massive man with no neck and a thick skull that measured Opie.

" _Volchitsa_ " the man said in longing and opened his embrace to envelope her.

Ava got up and spoke Russian as she hugged the man.

" _Net, plemyannitsa_. It is rude for your friend. English" the man said throwing a look at Opie.

Ava persisted in Russian but the man raised his hand at her. Looking upon him, seeing him walking on the street he would seem like a boring 50 year-old, in a boring, expensive suit. If one was to look closer, he would see the cruelty this man had, a certain air about him. Opie recognized it. That man had killed with his bare hands and wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

"We do this in English, _volchitsa_ " he said in a heavy accent.

Ava flinched. That was exactly what she was trying to avoid. She was tempted to get up and go but she was caught between a rock and hard place. Least she could do was try and get out of it quickly.

"OK. Do you have it?"

"You know I do" the man sat down across her.

"What do you want?"

"A sit down with the Sons of Anarchy to talk business"

Ava gaped at him and she took deep breaths. Opie frowned and came up closer to her.

"Did you think that your family wouldn't keep an eye on you?"

Ava shook her head. She was reluctant to ask more details. She was exposed as it was.

"I got no pull with the Sons. I can just relay the message"

"The message is relayed" the man said and looked at Opie "The business I am proposing is lucrative. Tell your president we need to meet. I am willing to come down to Charming"

Opie just nodded and turned his look at her.

"I like him" the man smiled at Ava.

"Sure you do. So, can I have it?"

The man waved at the goon and he brought forth a small, black, rectangular box. The man opened it and in it there was a syringe. Ava took a deep breath and stretched her arm.

"Not so fast, _volchitsa_. The proposition to the Sons was just an opportunity I saw. This" he closed the box "This is a personal favor to you and it will be repaid as such"

"Name it" Ava sat back down.

"A Sunday spent with the family" the man crossed his arms.

Ava frowned angrily. She half turned to Opie without looking at him. She would have preferred it if there was anyone else with her than him. He was the last person she wanted to let in on her family history.

"Sunday lunch. Forget about the rest of the day"

"Come on, _volchitsa_ " he smiled heartily "Do your old uncle a favor"

Ava shook her head and sighed. She could feel Opie's gaze burn her skull with flaming questions.

"OK. One day with the family. Breakfast to dinner. Happy?"

The man's face couldn't be happier. His thin lips smiled widely as he pushed the box to her and got up. Ava took the box and gave it to Opie refraining from looking at him and turned to her uncle.

"Come here" he opened his arms and he showered her in endearments in their mother tongue "Call me, _volchitsa_ "

Ava didn't answer. Instead she leaned in and left a kiss on his cheek and made for the door.

"Give this phone to your President. It has one number. When and if he wants to meet he calls me. I know you got some heat on you right now but I am a patient man" the man told Opie and handed him a phone.

Ava was waiting by the car agitated. Opie walked up to the car with a thoughtful, inquisitive look and Ava knew he was itching to ask more. He kept looking at her while on the road and Ava was starting to feel awkward.

"Say it, Opie!" she finally snapped.

"What does, _…"volchitsa"_ mean?"

Ava chuckled relaxing. She turned to him with a raised brow and she saw he had a coy smile on his lips.

"It means "she wolf" in Russian"

"Cool" he fussed with his beard and Ava felt the sudden urge to do the same to his thick beard.

She turned and focused on the road. Her road in this story was coming to an end. The rest of the trip they remained silent and Ava's thoughts flew back to her past, her father, her uncle. She couldn't outrun them no matter how hard she tried.

When they reached the cabin there were two bikes out. One was Chib's for sure.

"Jax" Opie pointed at the other and pushed the door.

Jax and Chibs were drinking beer and stood up when she and Opie came in.

"You got it?"

Opie handed Jax the little box. Jax looked at her suspiciously.

"You want to shoot him down? Go ahead! I am tired of this shit" Ava threw her hand in the air, went out and flopped on the couch on the porch.

Her leg was twitching, she was biting hard on her lower lip and her eye was looking at her car with intensity. She could hear voices in the house. Some heated discussion was going on in there and Ava was guessing Opie was filling Jax in about the meet with her uncle. A few moments after, Chibs came out on the porch and looked at her.

"When?"

Ava turned to him and she tried to tame the tempest in her mind, the fury that was tempting her to be unleashed. But she knew she had to get this over with and then go.

"I'll take him in tonight. Have your man be there"

"It's settled"

"The Mayans?"

"They seem to have some troubles with the Niners. They are suspecting that they are the ones keeping Passado. For now"

"That was fortunate" Ava said and texted Izzy.

"He is a good boy" Chibs came closer.

"Yeah. Bobby told me the same thing" Ava was getting tired of the whole family thing going on in the club.

"It's true" Chibs said.

"Thing is" Ava shot him with the coldest look "I am not a good girl"

She went in the house and saw Opie stand at the door of the storage room and Jax injecting Passado with the poison. She went up to them, brushed on Opie's side and checked Passado's face. He was better.

"What was that? Fucking Sons! You are dead! You are all dead!" he screamed with terror.

Ava made sure he was OK and went out the room silently. Opie followed her into her room. The bed was still upset by their sleep and Ava scowled. She closed her eyes and brought forth how she felt in his arms to calm herself. The result was the exact opposite. She started packing up most of her things with abrupt moves, pushing everything in the bag. Opie closed the door behind him.

"Thanks, Ava"

"Sure! Anytime you want to slowly murder someone, you know who to call"

He sat on the bed before her, his head reaching up to her bosom and looked up at her. Right then he looked like a hurt puppy. Or maybe a cute, giant bear.

"What?" Ava softened.

He just kept looking at her toying with something on his lips. Ava hated how she couldn't resist him. She was mad and anxious and furious at how Jax treated her, how her uncle found a chance to draw her back into her family and yet all these were forgotten as soon as he kept his warm, green eyes in hers. She left aside what she was doing and she pulled closer to him. She got her wish and caressed his face, twining her fingers in his beard. He reacted to her touch and pushed against her hand.

"I just…" Opie started but couldn't finish his sentence.

"I know, big man" she pulled even closer, pushed his head on her breasts and wrapped her arms around him.

He inhaled her scent deeply and run his hand up her waist. She could feel his disposition change from desperation to yearning. His touch became demanding, greedy and Ava felt her core flaming instantly, ignoring the fact that there were three other men outside the room. When she looked down at him, his hurt look was gone. There was only hot desire in those eyes and he seemed like an animal ready to devour her, waking a deep craving in her. He pushed her up and she straddled him grinding on him slowly, moaning as quietly as she could.

They both knew it was wrong and dangerous and risky, it was going to cost them both dearly in a toll of tears and death. But they couldn't stop, they didn't want to stop. He had her there and then, trying to keep her quiet, quenching a thirst that claimed his very soul. And she responded with equal hunger, with an impetuous rush that frightened her own self. Their love-making was passionate, urgent as if their whole life depended on it. She dipped her fingers in his skin and his thrusts became more and more intense.

"Fuck, Ava" he snarled in her ear in one final thrust and she had to bite her lip down to stop herself from screaming.

They stayed like that catching their breath, coming back to a reality where not everything was hazy. Ava doubted they could ever find themselves alone and manage to keep off each other. She knew for sure that she couldn't. She was the first to break the contact and got up to get dressed and Opie followed her lead.

"I never stopped to think" Opie said as he put on his grey t-shirt "about… protection. That was…shitty"

"I am a big girl and could have stopped you. Plus, I am on the pill" Ava chuckled "as for the rest…Well, I haven't had sex for months. I was tested little after the last time I did. Thankfully he was a complete ass but clean"

Opie nodded and smiled.

"Sure you didn't want any more children" Ava said and closed her bag.

Opie looked at the tattoo that gave him away and run his fingers over it. He said nothing just picked his stuff.

"Our lives are shit" he just replied "There is no subject we can touch and it won't be painful"

"I am hearing you. Sex is good, though" Ava refused to let the last moments with him wallow in self-pity.

Bringing up sex did the trick. He threw everything aside and grabbed her, picking her up over his head. He threw her on the bed and pressed his huge body over hers. And right at that moment there was a pounding on the door.

"Are you done?" Jax's voice dispelled the moment.

Ava rolled her eyes.

"I know you love the guy but, man, his timing is impeccable" she left a kiss on his lips and pushed him.

Opie got up beaming and opened the door. Jax was half moved, half surprised to see his friend smile again and then glanced back at Ava.

"Ope, check the cabin and put Passado in her car" Jax said looking at Ava more than him.

Opie looked at them both, snatched his things and left them alone. Ava braced herself for another of these discreet involvements in each other's life. And she had only met the men of the family. She dreaded to think what would happen when the women would be thrown in the mix.

"Ope is my best friend" Jax announced.

"I can see that"

"You know he lost his wife"

"Listen, Jax. I know we don't like each other, even though for the life of me I do not see why. But you have to put up with me only for a little while more. I drop Passado off and then…pff… I am gone"

Jax took one step closer, his head leaning to his left side. His look was stern and once more Ava admired the rapid thoughts that went through that man's mind.

"He likes you"

"He met me a few days back" Ava didn't like where this was going.

"You are the first one after…his wife"

"This isn't at all awkward" Ava commented to stop him from going on.

"I haven't seen him smile for a long time. Maybe you should…stick around"

Ava took in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"And yet I have to go while he is still smiling" Ava shook her head and she felt tears swell up inside her, ambushing her with their fortitude "Back to business. I take Passado to the PD, I fill the forms, sign the signatures and I am off. The money will be wired to me in a week or two. I will find a way to bring you your cut. I am assuming you prefer cash"

Jax pressed his lips together and concentrated on the task at hand.

"Cash is fine" he said ironically.

"You will get you your money, Jax" Ava left the room and went out the cabin.

Opie was leaning against the car, his hands in his pockets. Chibs was already on his bike and Jax came and rode his. Passado was cuffed at the back of the Prius.

"Ready?" Opie asked.

"Ready" Ava threw her bag in the trunk.

She was ready to get in the car when he caught her by the arm and drew her close. He forced her head up to him with his thumb and kissed her. His kiss had lost the tempest it had back in the cabin. It was slow, wet and sweet. Without saying anything, he left her there dumb-stricken and got in his truck. Then they all left, leaving Ava to go to the Charming PD headquarters.

On the way, Passado was silent. She was checking up on him through the mirror and she saw the rage boil in him. She knew that if he had a chance, he would notify his brethren of who was responsible for his incarceration and his poisoning. There would be a war, a bloody gangster war and for the first time in a long time Ava felt the urge to fight. She knew that she shouldn't care if a bunch of outlaws killed off each other. But she couldn't bear to think anything happening to Opie. She even felt the urge to stop the car, strangle the man and bury him before letting him hurt the man she...

"No!" Ava talked to herself making Passado turn to her.

She reached the Charming PD and as requested there were no Sons there to check up on her. She dragged Passado in and an old man came up to her.

"Are you Ava?"

She nodded. He looked at her prisoner and waved at her to follow him. Two of the officers took Passado to the cells and the Sheriff led her to his office.

"I have the paperwork here" he pushed a few sheets to sign "Ava Vasilowitz. That is your name?"

"Jax asked to dig into me, right?"

"He did" the man was sincere.

Ava wasn't the least worried. She had changed her name and had managed to establish a whole new life in paper. Paying a few officials back home, a little tampering on things and Ava Vasilowitz was born. She had no problem creating a false life for her and even living it. It was the real life that was still getting to her. She nodded at the man and took the forms from his hand.

"Is there anything else?"

"No. I'll take care of everything"

"The feds are coming in tomorrow. Make sure he is isolated. If he talks, you'll have bloodshed in Charming"

Ava got up and shook the Sherriff's hand.

"Take care, Ava"

Ava got in her car and drove away like crazy. Part of her wanted to run to the clubhouse, see him sit on his stool, put his beer away and kiss him with all her might, much to Diamond's dismay. She laughed at the thought of seeing Diamond's face when she kissed him. But it wasn't enough to make her turn her car around. She had to get as far away from him as she could.


	9. A family dinner

9.

Ava looked at herself in the big mirror and once more she cursed in Russian for letting her uncle talking her into this.

"You look beautiful" a cute girl looking at her said.

Ava looked at her through the mirror. She was a pretty little thing that reminded Ava of Diamond. The thought of that little minx around Opie made her blood boil. It's been more than two weeks than she last saw him and yet she couldn't stop thinking about him.

"Are you the one my uncle bangs?" Ava whipped her.

"Um…Yes"

"Take it easy on him. He is an old man after all"

"For an old man he has an insatiable appetite" the girl threw back.

"Ava is family. No need to lie" her uncle interrupted.

The girl walked up to him and kissed him on his closely shaved cheek before leaving them alone.

"She lies. To protect me. I have slept with her once or twice. I can't… After your aunt died" he said in Russian

"But the _pakhan_ of Sacramento has to be a virile man. I see. Please, ask her to forgive me. I didn't mean to snap at her" Ava replied in the same language.

"Thank you for doing this, Aventina. I have missed you. It would be a solace in my solitude. Your father…"

"Sure thing, uncle. I'll be right down" Ava interrupted.

Her uncle left her alone and Ava held back her tears. Her phone chimed and she got a text from Izzy. She was letting her know that Passado was still in isolation and that she was pushing him to go all RICO on the Mayans. No mention of the Sons. Ava left her phone and took a deep breath.

She got out of the bathroom and went down the stairs. Her uncle's house was an extravagant villa in Mediterranean style on over an acre of grounds, with a pool, tennis court, waterfalls and the whole shebang. She could hear voices coming from the main dining room, talking in Russian and there was a sweet mixture of nostalgia and pain. The moment she stepped into the dining room she was welcomed with a wave of enthusiasm. She saw faces she hadn't seen in years and others that she had never seen. There were cousins and friends, their wives and their children. They all looked at her like a prodigal daughter coming back into the fold. And at the head of the enormous table, filled with a ridiculous amount of food, was her uncle, busting with happiness.

"Sit on my right" he invited her.

The time flew by as she was filled in of all she had lost of the family stories. She couldn't but smile on the fortitude of life. All these people on the table had lost family, bled, did time. And yet they were enjoying Sunday lunch with a bunch of kids running around like crazy, playing as if all was good in life. By the time the sun started going down, one by one left the house, paying their respect to her uncle and her. Soon all that were left in the house was her, her uncle and the girl that seemed to take care of him.

"You'll stay for dinner?" her uncle asked.

"Dinner? I am full. Are you trying to kill me with Stroganoff? But I'm staying. That was the deal, wasn't it?"

"I was hoping you would do it because you wanted to"

"I'll stay for dinner, uncle" she managed to muster a smile "Gladly"

He leaned in and left a kiss on her forehead.

"You must excuse me for a while, _volchitsa_. Oh, I almost forgot. There is something for you. In the library" he pointed at the room.

Ava frowned surprised and then smiled. Her uncle used to spoil her with expensive gifts since he never had kids of his own. For some reason he always knew exactly what she needed and nothing got in the way of getting it for her. She shook her head and made for the library at the other side of the house through the luxurious garden. The night was mild, and the garden's smells hit her nostrils as she strolled through the flowers. The simple long dress she was wearing was rustling and her soft leather ballerinas weren't heard on the stone-paved path. She reached the library and pushed the door open. And froze.

Her mouth stayed open but no words came out. She was still holding the knob on the door and was seriously thinking of closing it back and run away. There, in the cozy library, was Opie standing with his hands in his pockets. He was in a tight, black t-shirt and his cut thrown over it, his hair in a ponytail. She tried to snap out of her astonishment, made a mental note to kill her uncle and finally took a step in. Opie filled the room and looked so much more beautiful than she remembered that she had to tie her hands together to keep them in order.

"Hi" he coughed.

"Hi"

The air became thick between them, filled with desire, spiced with a hint of spite and a lot of fear.

"Radomir, your uncle, told me about tonight. If I am honest, I asked where I could find you. It was either here or at the family lunch, actually"

Ava just kept looking at him. She didn't know what to tell him.

"I wanted to see you" Opie put sincerely.

Her heart was crushed by the sheer fortitude of that sincerity. Of the two warriors in the room, one was the real fearless one and for sure it wasn't her. She felt bad, embarrassed and broken. Not by him. By her whole life that didn't let her fall in his arms and live what was to live with him for as long as she could.

"Opie…I just…" she slurred.

"I know, girl"

She felt the tear run down her cheek before she could stop it. She turned away and hid her face in her hands. He towered behind her, caressed her arm and kissed her shoulder softly.

"We can't" she protested and stepped away.

"Ava"

"Aventina" she turned to him with wet eyes "Aventina Vasilieva. That's my real name. Daughter of Dimitri Vasiliev, tsar of the Russian mob, niece of the _pakhan_ of Sacramento"

Opie looked down at her as if she were telling him the latest news on the agricultural changes.

"I am an outlaw, too. Ava"

"How many have you lost? How many have you killed?" Ava raised her chin.

Opie bit his lower lip.

"I had two brothers. Both dead. The last one by my hand" Ava hit him even harder.

Opie's look darkened.

"My father wanted me to lead the family after my eldest brother was killed brutally. A woman leading the mob! Unheard of!" Ava legs couldn't hold her anymore and she sat on a chair "I haven't done time, I was young but my father was grooming me to lead his empire. He said I had it in me to be the Queen of the underworld while my little brother was an imbecile"

She stopped for her breath was caught when the thought of her brother came once more in her mind. She swallowed but her throat was dry.

"Pyotr. Pyotr was troubled. Our father revered his eldest and loved me, his little princess. No room for Pyotr. What does it do to a boy to grow up without his father's love? To live in spite for his siblings? To be considered a failure? When my mother was left outside our house shot in the head, he lost it. Drugs, alcohol, prostitutes" Ava sniffled.

Opie came near and lunged before her.

"When our father named me the heir, it was the last straw. He shot our father right in front of me and ran. And I went after him. Killed him for revenge. Punched him to death with my bare hands. My own, little brother" Ava started to cry openly.

Opie kneeled on the floor and took her in his arms. She was sobbing and was shaking beyond control. He shushed her as he stroked her hair constantly till her crying was subdued.

"We can't, Opie. We bring havoc to the lives of others. I managed all those years to keep everyone out. Keep my distance from everybody. No one comes in, because he might not come out. I was afraid to get a goddamn dog, for fuck's sake!" she got up away from his arms "Why did I ever come to Charming? Why did I ever stop you from blowing Passado up?"

Opie got up and persisted. He drove his fingers through her dark hair and with his thumb wiped her tears away and forced her to look at him. She could see he understood. He had been through the same pain in his life, all owning up to the life. And then he cracked a smile.

"So, you're telling me I fucked some underworld royalty?"

Ava couldn't help but break a smile. She shook her head and bit her lower lip.

"That's what you heard from all this?"

"For a small time crook in Charming, California I didn't do badly" Opie teased her.

Ava's smile widened and then all her joy fell apart. Her momentary bliss turned sour in her mouth and she wanted to scream. She clenched her teeth and looked away ready to tell him to go. Opie spoke first.

"For as long as it lasts, Ava. If I were to die for a few more days with you so be it" he shrugged.

Ava's eyes narrowed with malice. She hated him for saying the sweetest thing anyone has ever told her. She hated him for being who he was.

"And what if I die because of you?" she spat the words, laden with poison and he was shaken

Ava didn't back down. If anything, she knew she had to hit harder, drive him away, make him angry.

"And what do you expect from this?" she screamed on top of her lungs "That I'd be your old lady? Sit back silently, smile politely, cook your meals and wash your dishes, tuck in your kids and wait patiently to see if you are coming home to fuck me?"

Opie's hands fell on his side. Ava mustered all the courage not to back down seeing him so tense.

"Honestly, Opie. You can't be that stupid. You are not that good a fuck"

He was frowning and his eyes were glaring but he just came closer to her, with a pout that made him irresistible. Ava raised her arms to push him away but he just kept coming. She hit him on the chest and shoved him but it was impossible to move him away.

"Get the fuck away from me! Go away" she tried but the words came out weak.

"No" he closed her in his arms.

"Go away!" she threw her fists on his strong chest.

"No" he pushed her against him.

She had no will left, no strength to resist him. All it took was look up to him, bathe in his look to melt all her resistance.

"We are broken, baby. Broken and toxic and borderline sociopaths" she made one last effort.

"Why poison anyone else then, darling?"

Ava smirked at him.

"You got a point there, big man"

"Hey. I am not just tall, dark and handsome, your Highness"

"I should have never told you about that"

"Well, you did and I find that hot" his hands travelled all over her body "You, my lady, are getting the royal treatment"

They both leaned in for a wet, hot, long kiss.

 **This is the end of this story of Ava and Opie. Thank you all for taking the time and reading it and thank you for your warm comments.**

 **My thoughts were to let this one go, but it is harder to do so as you write on. So maybe this power couple will come back in a story that brews in my mind and I like to call "The Clash of the Queens"**


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